A convenient way of preparing a soup, a sauce or gravy is by diluting a concentrated product in water. In case the liquid savory product is derived from a dry concentrated product containing starch, upon dilution of the concentrate in water, usually after applying heat, the starch becomes activated and provides a viscous liquid food product. Traditional concentrates are dry concentrates, for example in the form of cubes or granules. A format of savory food concentrates which is appreciated nowadays by consumers, is a moist, non-liquid concentrate, for example in the form of a gel or a paste. A gel or a paste allows addition of water containing or liquid ingredients, which contributes to the perception of freshness of the concentrate. WO2007/113111 discloses a savory food composition comprising at least one pre-gelatinised starch and at least one cook-up starch. The texture may be liquid or may be a dry powder.
A savory food composition has been described which provides binding activity upon dilution of the concentrate. WO2004/049822 discloses a shelf-stable fluid concentrated composition comprising starch dispersed in an aqueous basis wherein the starch is in an unswollen state. The viscosity of the product is lower than 1500 Pas and has a pourable or spoonable texture. Upon dilution in hot water the product forms a thickened liquid, like a sauce.
It was observed that the use of starch provides several undesired complications. Given the conventional dilution rates, a relatively high amount of starch, e.g. 30 wt % should be present to provide the desired viscosity in the ready-to-eat end product resulting after dilution, such as for example a soup, a sauce or gravy. High amounts of starch result in less formulation flexibility, as less space is present for other ingredients. A high starch amount may result in a viscosity of the ingredient mixture, during preparation of the food concentrate, which is too high, for example due to the high starch powder content. Such a high viscosity requires more energy uptake by the mixture during mixing. A further disadvantage of the use of starch is that the starch should not be activated (gelatinised) during production of the food concentrate, as in that case, most of its viscosity enhancing capacity is lost when the product is diluted and the concentrate forms lumps after dilution. Therefore, when starch is used, it is usually added at a relatively low temperature during production of the concentrate. This forms a complication when a structuring agent is present in the composition which comprises gelling agents, =. Gelling agents are normally functionalised (activated) at relatively high temperatures (e.g. >60° C.), and heating of the product results in gelatinisation of the starch. Cooling to a temperature which might allow addition of the starch, results in a limited temperature frame to add starch, if this is possible at all, as the gelling agents solidify upon temperature reduction. Sterilisation or pasteurisation of starch-containing products forms a problem, as during such processes the starch becomes gelatinised. From a consumer perspective, starch might not be preferred as during dilution in hot water, heating of starch forms a risk for formation of lumps in the ready-to-eat end product.
Furthermore, the ready-to-eat end product comprising the starch needs to be cooked-up for some time, to activate the starch, in order to obtain the thickening effect of starch. This can be experienced as cumbersome by consumers and may form a quality risk, if heating is carried out too long or too short. In addition, the taste of starch may often not be appreciated. Furthermore, consumption of starch results in an additional intake of calories, which is often not preferred by consumers. Finally, the presence of relatively high amounts of starch may result in an opaque appearance of the concentrated product, which may not be desired for some applications.
It was observed that the compositions from the art show several disadvantages. Concentrates as described in the art did not allow for easy unit dosing, as they were liquid. Many of them would not be considered as ‘natural’ by consumers, because of their dry appearance.